Agattu endurance

[flecc]

It's a pity the UK couldn't have planned for the future, though, rather than having to be dragged into it kicking and screaming.

We missed a golden opportunity with North Sea oil. Coinciding with the decades when we built our only modern technology nuclear power station, Sizewell B, the income from the oil, being a windfall, should have all been used to build a whole new generation of nuclear power stations to take care of the future. Instead we squandered the money on unsustainable higher living standards, Thatcher's experiments in social engineering and the unnecessary Falklands war.
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[Straylight]

Present wind,sea or solar ideas will only ever generate a fraction of our energy needs. Until someone comes up with a new energy source we had better hope that fossil fuelled and nuclear energy doesn't run out.

True, but we are at the moment very profligate with regard to the amount of energy we use. It's a bitter pill, but this can't go on, at some point this has to begin to be seen as a luxury, not a right, or a "need". Simply put, our current lifestyle is unsustainable.

Examples:
Buying produce at the supermarket that's been flown halfway round the world from where it happens to be in season.
Being brought up to expect to become a driver, like it's a god-given right.
Commuting more than say 10 miles - no reason for this, if your job's that important - live close to it.
Expecting to able to travel somewhere nice and hot for an odd week's holiday, again like it's some kind of birthright.
Going on trips for business meetings, which can be eliminated via telepresence, or a simple phone call.
etc.etc.

 

[Alex728]

Instead we squandered the money on unsustainable higher living standards, Thatcher's experiments in social engineering and the unnecessary Falklands war.
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privatising the electricity boards and the telecoms industry didn't help either, as they could also have worked together to develop many renewable energy sources - every major Telephone Exchange has a huge lead acid battery which needs to be kept charged with DC (usually from the mains), and they are tall buildings with lots of roof space!

These larger installations would benefit from economies of scale and even if they just powered the Telephone Exchange its still some load off the grid - and this is one major use of power (amongst many other things, we wouldn't be able to send these messages without it!)

BT is only now experimenting with this (although a lot of Post Office equipment had power saving schemes built in from thge 1950s!)

Sizewell B has been off grid for some weeks due to a fault (it might have come back on this weekend). on a UPS at my office some 25 miles away, the voltage drop on the mains since this happened is noticeable. At the moment its well within EDF / EU specs and nothing to cause a risk of supply problems, but its clear that Sizewell B wasn't just put there on a whim and contributes a lot of the electricity of this region.

 

[flecc]

Simply put, our current lifestyle is unsustainable.

Unless we reduce the world population by 80%.

That could mean a nuclear solution too.
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[Straylight]

I think I'm getting deja vu!

Well my partner and I are doing our part, I should also have added the selfish and self indulgent breeding of the human species. Completely agree - there's just too darn many of us.

 

[rog_london]

And the bike still has a second hand value whatever that might be, this brings me to the conclusion that it is considerably cheaper than using public transport..............unless you have a bus pass

J hn

Most of us have bus passes on here - can't you tell? That's why we're such a curmudgeonly lot!

Rog.